Good Night
by Faitily-Yours
Summary: Sasuke is terrorized by visions of a blond boy in a painting. He doesn't know what to make of it. Until the boy tells him exactly why he's there. SasuNaru/NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Good Night**

**Rating: NC-17 (for next two chapters)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.**

**Description: Sasuke is terrorized by visions of a blond boy in a painting. He doesn't know what to make of it. Until the boy tells him exactly why he's there. SasuNaru/NaruSasu**

**Beta: **GiantFlyingSquirrel - My hero!! without her, this would NEVER be up here so soon and I also lovingly DEDICATE this story to her!! Hope she loves the rest ; )

Authors Notes: Umm... I know this is confusing, but everything will be explained and also finished in the next TWO chapters. I haven't decided if I should cut the last one into two or not yet, but if I do- I'll tell you guys. : P

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Good Night Part I

"Good night, Sasuke-kun. Sleep well, little prince." Sasuke muffled something into his bed comforter as his nanny turned up the heating in the large, blank bedroom, careful not to set it too high for the little boy. She looked around one last time checking if anything was off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for a, soon to be, six year old Uchiha Sasuke who held his blankets against his mouth, azure eyes glaring with intent not nearly as tough as he himself thought it was. "Sasuke, stop staring at that photo and go to sleep."

When her client's son didn't look away, yet merely glared harder, she sighed and walked over to the large painting the child had of a country road straight across from his bed. The painting was a landscape, its view reaching across a plain of grass with small white daisies littering the tall grasses. A roll of mountains could be seen in the background, jutting into the pink and orange sky.

"Do you see that boy?" Normally, the nanny would deny such accusations of Sasuke's 'boy in the painting'. He had owned the painting since he had claimed this room as his own, years ago, and  
every night before falling asleep would point out the boy. A boy, no one but Sasuke, could see. The vision of blond hair and striking blue eyes had never once caught their attention like it had Sasuke's.

In fact, Fugaku, after becoming increasingly annoyed, had a professional examine the painting. They discovered it was painted in the late 1830's, the artist was well known for landscape paintings  
and large interior paintings of mansions and other elegant buildings, and that never once did the artist, known only as Danzo, paint a human subject into his paintings.

So, Sasuke's brutal accusations of the man in the painting went unnoticed with excuses such as he was alone too long during the span of the day; a small white pill, and a glass of water in the morning  
and evening should clear these hallucinations up. Yet he never gave up, nor did he allow the movers to take the painting from his room. He clearly remembered peeing in a man's shoe once, a very low move, to make sure he couldn't leave the house with the painting. After more instances of childishness, Fugaku and Mina had allowed Sasuke to keep the photo, not really caring if he was having troubles sleeping.

"No, Sasuke-kun." She looked at the painting in sorrow, noting the pain and frustration it brought the young boy. "I don-" But this time, she did. She saw the little boy walking down the small coble lane towards the edges of the painting with a handful of white daisies in his hand, his spiked blond hair waving in the wind, and his bright blue eyes shining in the summer sun. She blinked, rubbing her knuckles against her eyes. Perhaps hearing Sasuke talk too much about it has put ideas in her mind. All she knew was she was not to look at the photo again, for fear of a heart attack.

Sasuke however, noted her reaction and frowned when he saw her ignore what she saw. She saw him, she did! He wasn't crazy! There was a boy there, a beautiful boy, holding daisies, walking towards him. In the night, sometimes he could swear he could hear word being spoken in soft tones from the painting. But he would never admit such things to his father, who already believed he was a little more than mental. Nor could he ever allow Itachi to think he was any weaker than he already was, he was grown up now; he couldn't have Itachi snickering after him any longer.

"Go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow, you need all the sleep you can get." Her soothing face returned to stare at his young features.

"You see him, don't you?" She was startled by his words, slightly reeling back from what they meant. Was she going mental from this job?

"Sasuke-kun, please, go to bed."

"You see him! Don't lie to me! You see him!" He was sitting up in his bed again, and she placed shaking hands on his shoulders.

"Please, Sasuke-kun-" she tried to get him to lie down, go to sleep, not start a shit-show. Anything but that. They had successfully gone for four months without a night spasm.

"No! You see him! Don't lie to me!" Sasuke was becoming increasingly annoyed. The woman knew that Sasuke was hung up on the boy, and she was clearly denying the fact that he was indeed there. "Look again! Look!" Her gaze inched towards it again, curiosity filling her to see if the figure was still there. It was. She cringed and looked back.

"YOU SEE HIM!" In a flash, the small boy's raised voice alarmed the security outside, in turn notifying Fugaku and Mina. In a moment's notice the boy's parents and older brother, were in the room.

"What has happened?" Fugaku questioned, the nanny looking in disbelief at the small child.

"I-I-"

"We don't have time for your rambling, what happened?" She looked at her boss, stood from the bed and bowed deeply.

"Gomen, I cannot stay. I fear of losing my senses." With that she left, walking swiftly out the door and heading to the safety of her car outside. She would never see the interior of the Uchiha house again.

Fugaku looked at his youngest son as Itachi sat on his bed and lightly placed a hand on the quivering boy's shoulder.

"What happened, Sasu?" Sasuke looked at his older brother, respect and love brimming his still emotional eyes.

"She saw him! She saw him!" he yelled, little body shaking in anger.

"Saw who Sasu?" Itachi answer, calm as ever.

"She saw the boy in the painting." Mikoto looked at her husband, silent tears tracking down her face as she listened to her son talk about ghost tales. Fugaku bore at the picture, begging to see what his son saw. Yet, as always, he saw nothing. Just rolling hills in front of towering mountains and a stretch of grassy fields covered in daisies cut with a single cobble stone road. That was it. No boy.

"Mikoto, shall we return to bed?" She nodded her head, leaning into her husband's cold embrace as he showed her to the door. Before leaving he turned to his eldest son. "Watch over him, will you? We need him to have lots of rest for his birthday tomorrow." Itachi stared, unemotionally towards his father, barely nodding his head in agreement.

"Yes, father."

"Good, get some rest too, goodness knows how much energy you'll be using tomorrow as well." As Fugaku left the room, Mikoto in tow, Itachi turned back towards Sasuke who had his small arms wrapped around his torso in frustration.

"Otouto, what do you see?"

"I told you Aniki..." The smaller raven's voice was soft, almost sad, "he's a boy, small, with blond hair like the sun and three whisker-like markings on each cheek..." Itachi looked at the painting, carefully examining its contents.

"Is that all you notice about the painting?" Sasuke looked at his hands, feeling even more embarrassed at what he could be possibly telling Itachi. He already made it seem to his family that he was insane, but Sasuke felt he could tell Itachi, he would understand, he understood everything Sasuke told him, as if he were in the same situation before. Itachi was seven years older than Sasuke, and often showed his maturity, having been the first child in the country to skip three years in school within one school year he was nothing short of a prodigy, setting the standards for Sasuke higher than any child his age had ever seen. And although Fugaku wasn't impressed with Sasuke's more than average grades in...grade one, Itachi found Sasuke more than interesting and marvelled in his innocence. What hurt him most was seeing his innocence in jeopardy.

"No..."

"What else do you see?"

"That... with each passing year, he gets older..." Sasuke felt stupid for spouting such words, if Itachi was like his father he would have been cowering in fear, but he wasn't, and Itachi was looking at his younger brother in interest.

"Older?"

"Yeah, like he's growing, like a normal boy would. And not only that but-..."

"But...?"

"He's also getting closer. He started out at the very back of the painting, very small and hardly noticeable. Then... almost as if each day he grew just the tiniest bit closer to along the cobble stone path, towards me." Itachi watched his younger brother wiring his hands together, their pale complexion slowly becoming an itching red.

"Okay... tomorrow I'll remove the picture-"

"No!"

"Yes, Sasuke, It won't bother you anymore." Itachi noticed Sasuke's almost desperate look that swirled within his eyes. "You can have one last night with it." Sasuke looked back down to his hands and stopped squirming, a small smile on his lips.

"Okay." Itachi stood from the bed, placing a last kiss on his younger brother's forehead before leaving him to sleep. "Go to bed, Otouto." Sasuke nodded and lay back in his bed, watching the painting from afar as Itachi left the room.

Sasuke had troubles sleeping, with each passing minute he wanted to keep his eyes open, painfully watching to see if he himself could witness the boy in the painting move. Yet every night, out of sheer exhaustion, he would pass out, sometimes in the most uncomfortable situations.

No matter how much he wanted to stay up, to watch the painting as much as he could before it left, to stare wide eyed at the small boy in the painting, he felt pulled in by sleep. And so he fell, visions of the little boy, daisies in his hand, as they walked down the cobble stone road together.

*

When he woke up his mother had not woken him yet, and the picture was still there. Only this time, for the first time in his life, he didn't see the boy in the picture. At first he thought he was seeing things, probably missing him from the quick glance he threw towards it. But upon realizing what could be missing he immediately rush over to it, climbed onto the dresser using the chair beside it and took the painting off the wall. Upon reaching the ground once again he laid it on the floor and stared at it with a scrutinizing eye. Yet, as much as he looked, the boy wasn't there. As much as his family thought he was mentally unstable for seeing the boy in the first place, Sasuke felt absolutely insane for not seeing him there at that moment.

Like any other boy his age, he let the world know of his horror. He screamed, at the top of his lung, so that every person working in the Uchiha mansion and anyone else in a five mile radius of the screaming  
boy, came running. Sasuke sat in the middle of his room, painting in hand, screaming to his poor heart's content. Why? Because Uchiha's never cried. At least they fought until the last moment not to. Immediately his mother came running, quickly followed by her husband and Itachi. Mikoto bent down and gathered the small, pale boy in her arms, his voice simmering down to a whimper.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He shook his head, burying it into the juncture between her shoulder and neck.

"He's gone." Mikoto knew what this meant, she knew exactly the boy he was talking about, but in hopes that he meant something else, she was compelled to ask.

"Who's gone?" A small, silver tear fell for her son's azure eyes as he looked up at her own.

"The boy in the painting..."

*

That day was Sasuke's birthday, and having been born into a rich family, showered in many appraisals and media downpour, the Uchiha's set up an elaborate birthday party for their second son's sixth  
birthday. Their Grand Hall was decorated in blue, black and silver tinsel and their large dining room had many bright colors to set a more age appropriate theme for their youngest son. Many prestigious and well know names, as well as their children, were invited to this party and the guest list almost fell to the ground with a surprising number of 1,200 guests. All to celebrate the guest of honour's sixth birthday.

However, there were a couple things wrong with having this party, to Sasuke especially. One, the main focus was for their parents to converge and talk about boring things like their stupid businesses.  
Two, the kids that were invited were stuck up snobs that, for the life of them, wouldn't know what fun was if it ran into their shins, stole their wallet and wrote 'HAVE FUN' on their forehead before leaving  
with a happy joyful laugh on its way out. And third, Sasuke was having a mental war between himself and the painting. Why was the boy not there? Was he truly imagining everything he saw for almost six years straight? He couldn't remember his early years, but he couldn't remember a time without the boy in the painting as well, so he couldn't complain or argue.

The dining hall had filled with people in the span of an hour, hundreds of people filling what was once a calm empty room. Sasuke hated gatherings; it called for girls to flock and boys to play  
envious pranks on him. It all ended in his misfortune and unhappiness in the end. Sasuke didn't understand why his parents didn't just let him have a birthday dinner with just the four of them for the  
evening.

Mikoto found her youngest son standing on the edge of the crowd, arms crossed over and an arrogant pout shoved onto his lips. She gracefully moved through the masses of people until she approached him, slowly squatting down to his level.

"Sasuke, go join the children. Have some fun, ne?" Sasuke glanced at his mother, anger and hate laced into his heated glare. It didn't faze her, however, and she brushed it off almost as if it were a wanton look.

"I don't want to." Mikoto frown lightly, however not hard enough to damage her makeup.

"Sasuke, these people are here to celebrate your birth and you will have fun. If you don't go and try to socialize we will have you attend more of these parties with your father, Itachi-kun and I." Sasuke immediately dropped his glare and hands to his side, walking towards the other kids as if on a mission. He didn't have to go as far as to socialize with the children, he just had to find one, make him stand with him at all times during this drab party, and ditch the kid at the end. Plan made, now plan in motion.

He started by walking around the masses of people, looking for a suitable kid to make his 'friend', pushing through large sleek silk gowns and sliding around straight pant legs, looking for that certain kid. The group was more of a hassle than a party. Sasuke found it absolutely irritating, that he had to celebrate something as great as his sixth birthday with these people, that didn't even know how to move out of his way so he could walk around his own house, a 'fun' occassion.

In his anger a small flash of blond caught his eye, slowly revolving his head to look at the doorway to the Grand Hall. For a moment, the noises around him blurred, their mindless chatter becoming a gooey mess of sound waves in his ears. For a moment, the people around him paused, their tall silky forms stalling in mid motion, as his eyes trained on the one thing they had yearned to see all day.

Through the massive crowd, Sasuke trained his sight on the blond sticking out from beneath the heavy wooden doors, revealing the boy from the painting. In a single heart beat, Sasuke's direction turned, fixed on his new destination; the door. The boy's surreal blue eyes scanned the hall, their glistening colour searching, searching. Sasuke sped up, want to reach it in time, wanting to confirm his queries, to prove to himself that the boy was, indeed, real! To blond looked crest fallen as he quickly left the door way and exited the room.

"Wait!" Sasuke shouted, small voice ignored by the adults. However it didn't bother Sasuke as he rushed towards the closing door, nor when he flung it open as fast as he could to reveal the blond in the hall. "I said, 'Wait!'"

The other boy turned at the sound of Sasuke's voice, vast oceans concentrating on silky black. For a moment they stood, heavy breathing finally sound as the oak door closed once again, shut off the sounds of the guests in the room.

Sasuke wanted to ask so many questions, but he felt silly, stupid even to think that the boy in front of him was the boy from the painting. He didn't want to scare away the boy when he first met him. His stomach turned into a knot as he worried about the other boy leaving. What if he was the boy and Sasuke hadn't said anything? Would he regret it forever?

But he needn't worry as the blond walked towards Sasuke, hand held out, three white daisies clenched in tan, shaking fingers. A petal from the one of the daisies fell to the floor and the blue eyes fell, following the slightly crumpled piece of velvet petal.

"I-I'm sorry..." Sasuke looked back up at him, confused as to why the boy was apologizing.

"What for?"

"I broke it..."

"Broke what?" The small blond dropped the white flowers, soon following onto his knees, hands pushing to his eyes to dry them. Sasuke instantly felt bad for the boy, whatever it was that he broke, it sure was important.

"The flower, I picked them for you but... it broke." He answered solemnly, looking at the flowers laying on the ground, more petals detached from their yellow insides.

"That's okay, there are more outside." He made it sound like it wasn't important, like the present was nothing, and that made the blond even more upset, glistening his eyes with white hot tears. "We can pick more!" he quickly burst, not wanting the blond to cry. For a moment he stopped, looking down at his failed attempt at a present before looking up at the dark haired boy.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Kaa-san has a garden with tones of big flowers. I can take you there and we can pick them together." He knew he shouldn't go to the garden, his mother often scolded him for trampling on the freshly planted seedlings and his father was even worse, he was scolded for even wanting to be in a garden in the first place. But Itachi liked to take Sasuke there when he was feeling upset to look at all the pretty colours and smell the natural scent of life. He loved it in there. It was free from the strains of this life he lead.

The blond nodded his head and Sasuke dropped his hand down, helping the boy to a standing position. When the boy stood erect Sasuke didn't let go, allowing his eyes to catch the blonde's once again.  
Sasuke felt this strange, yet welcome warmth in his palms as he held the boy's hand, leading him to the back yard. He couldn't understand any of it, but he knew he was happy where he was. He was  
just... happy.

The boy staid out in the garden while the party raged inside, no-one clearly taking a moment to check up on the boys until hours later when Sasuke could hear faint foot step from the open backdoor which lead to the garden. The blond had a small collection of both his and Sasuke's favorite flowers in hand, as he looked around the lamp lit area of the garden.

"Careful of the roses, their my favorite because they have thorns. But that's also why you need to watch out!" Sasuke told Naruto, showing Naruto the large blood red roses that rose high above their heads. Neither boy was tall enough to grasp onto those flowers now, but Naruto silently vowed that one day, when he was tall enough, he would come back for them.

"Otouto, where are you...?" Sasuke knew Itachi well enough to know, that even though his brother's voice sounded bored and forced, deep down -very very deep down- Itachi was worried.

"Aniki! We're in the garden!" The raven called, summoning his brother to the garden area. When Itachi arrived, the blonde boy's eyes widened almost animatedly.

"Are-are you here to take me away...?" He sounded frightened, almost scared of the older boy he had literally just met.

"Who's your friend, Otouto?" Sasuke's face cracked into a smile, thrusting his hand towards his new friend expectantly and opened his mouth to introduce his brother to his new friend. That was, if he knew the boy's name.

"Wait... what's your name?" the blond chuckled, scratching the back of his head absently as he shrugged.

"Naruto."

"Naruto? That's it? No family name?"

"U-Uzumaki..?" He answered, almost asking if that was the right answer.

"Uzumaki Naruto? Why is it that I haven't heard of you, or your family name, hn?" Sasuke was about to protest when Itachi stepped in front of his little brother, effectively cutting Sasuke off from Naruto.

"Hey! Aniki! Don't worry, he's my friend!" Sasuke tried, pulling and tugging on Itachi's nice, expensive suit.

"That's why I'm worrying, Sasuke." The raven flinched at the cold use of his name, looking past Itachi's left arm to watch Naruto cower away from his older brother.

"Don't scare him away, please, he's... he's my only friend." Sasuke begged, looking up at his older brother. Reluctantly Itachi brushed Sasuke off him, looking back to Naruto before leaving in a swift movement.

"Who's he?" Naruto's voice was almost silent, and the words he spoke barely reached Sasuke's small pink ears.

"My brother..."

*

Time flew by for the boys and eventually the party died down, people went home to sleep off their hangovers, and the children fell asleep in their parents warm arms as they were carted to their chauffeured cars.

"Naruto..." The blond boy looked over at his friend, smile shinning as bright as the day.

"Yeah?"

"Where... where are your parents...?" Naruto looked down at the blocks he had finished pilling on top of each other making a small cottage like structure. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, hoping Sasuke wouldn't ask again and quickly changed the subject.

"This place is nothing like where I'm from. I really like playing here with you!" Naruto looking longingly at the flowers all lumped together in a pile on Sasuke's floor. The flowers to two had picked together.

"Naruto..."

"I'm so sad it won't last too long."

"Naruto-"

"I don't want to leave at all-"

"Naruto!" the small boy looked up at Sasuke, taking in his dark, contrasting features. When he was sure Naruto had stopped talking Sasuke spoke up. "What are you talking about? You can always come back here, but don't your parents want you back for the night?"

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, his eyes glazed over in distraught and naive contentment. "I... don't have parents... here." His last word added on as if he had to clarify that they were around somewhere, just not in the vicinity.

"Is it okay with them if you stay here?" Sasuke crawled the small length to sit next to his new blonde friend. Naruto turned to Sasuke, large lopsided grin almost ripping his lips apart.

"Yeah, they don't mind!" Sasuke nodded and got back to building his castle, the two moving back into a silent phase of construction. Minutes passed, and the boys moved on, building their rainbow castles, their colossal walls much large in their imaginations than laid out before them and eventually heavy eyes fell onto pastel cheeks. Naruto's smaller body curled into a ball against Sasuke's front, as the raven curled his pale fingers around a bit of the blonde's shirt. Both boys slept with smiles as they basked in each other's warmth.

*

In the morning Sasuke woke, yawning as he looked around his lightly lit room. At first, Sasuke felt no different other than a little colder than he felt last night. Upon closer inspection, however, he noticed the empty bed. And suddenly he felt distant, empty, and oddly depressed. He felt as if all the joy he felt last night with the mysterious blond boy, Naruto, was sucked completely out of him. All hope and happiness... suddenly were missing from his world as he looked over his completely barren room.

He didn't hear his crying, his screaming, his moans of pain- he felt it. He felt it all, weighing down upon him. He felt heavy, tired, and absolutely done as his screaming faded into soft whimpers. People surrounded him, his mother's arms encased him, and he fell asleep- not noticing the paper Itachi took with him as their parents swoon over the youngest Uchiha.

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**Comments, Reviews, and favs are amazing and show your support for this story. it only gets better from here. Hahaha**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter, thanks to **GiantFlyingSquirrel** for being my amazing beta! Love you!**

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Sasuke looked down as his nails, carefully examining the dirt beneath his nails as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever witnessed. To tell the truth, it was a lot more interesting than what his therapist, Tsunade, was going on about.

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"Are you listening to what I'm saying?"

"Hn." Tsunade sighed, noting something down on her notebook. He hadn't said a word the whole session, which was completely normal for him on such occasions.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm here to help you, and it would be more helpful for me if you would say something. Anything at all." She waited a moment, scrutinizing Sasuke's every movement.

"Don't expect such things of me." Were the words he finally spat out. She sighed again, something she did often during their sessions together. For a couple minutes they sat in silence, Sasuke inspecting his nails for imperfections and scraping the dirt out from underneath them while Tsunade watched in annoyance. It wouldn't be long before she gave up on him.

"Your birthday's coming up." At this Sasuke's interest in the conversation spiked, but not enough for him to actually acknowledge her presence. "Tomorrow, right Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke didn't answer with words, instead he dropped his hands from in front of his face, reverting to glare heatedly at the old cracking leather of the chair he lazily lounged in. "Is there something about your birthday that bothers you Sasuke-kun?" Again he didn't say anything.

Every year since his sixth birthday Sasuke gave the same reaction to his birthday, anger and resentment. Ten years he went on with this indifference, and every single year within those ten years he became colder and more outraged with the coming of his birthday. And although he saw Tsunade once a week, she knew of the anger, and always asked for his presence the day before his birthday, as if one year he would speak, tell of his anger, and spill his guts of the agony residing inside onto the old tattered leather. Yet each year he let her down, showing his strength. Fugaku would be proud- that is, if he actually cared enough to check into the progress he was making, which just so happened to be not at all.

After waiting a good five minutes for any other sort of reaction out of the unusually stoic sixteen year old boy, she waved him out. Wordlessly giving him leave; he left equally as silent.

When he arrived home he was welcomed with a seemingly empty house, his parents were to be gone for another week on business and Itachi had moved out many years before. However, it wasn't as if he really minded, in fact, he enjoyed it when his mother and father weren't there. Even though the house was always occupied with maids, cooks and the occasional employee of the Uchiha enterprise it felt almost suffocating with noise and unwanted bitterness when his parents were home. It's not like he really needed to worry about it, they were never home for more than a couple days anyway.

Sasuke dropped his black leather jacket at the door, and kicked off his pristine black leather loafers at the door. Both articles collected by a maid and efficiently put into their proper places.

"U-Uchiha-Sempai." Sasuke turned a cool eye towards the bumbling maid, lazily taking in her nervous demeanour. "Itachi-sempai is paying you a visit. He's waiting for y-you in the library." Sasuke nodded, dismissing the maid who left in relief.

Itachi; his older brother has been travelling the world along side his father helping with company affairs in other countries. Recently he spent four months in New York checking in on the stock markets for their company in Wall Street.

When Sasuke finally reached the library on the far end of the mansion he disliked calling 'home', he found his brother sitting in his favourite chair, facing large open windows overlooking the garden.

"Itachi." The older Uchiha turned his head, spotting his younger brother, a small, almost creepy, smile gracing his lips.

"Ah, Otouto." Itachi rose from his seat and outstretched his arms in a friendly manner towards his brother. Sasuke made no move towards his brother.

"Why have you come?" Itachi's arms fell and a smirk replaced his creepy smile, oddly settling Sasuke's odd fear of his brother's intentions.

"Now, Sasu, does your dear Aniki need a reason to visit his Otouto?" Sasuke looked on, raising an eyebrow at his brother, knowing him much better than how he presented himself.

"Gomen, Aniki, how was New York ?" Itachi scoffed, seating himself back down, crossing a perfect leg over his knee.

"Sasu-"

"Don't call me that."

"Gomen. Sasuke, we have more pressing matters to discuss." Sasuke rolled his eyes at his brother, not liking having wasted his time fooling around with his older, presumably more mature, brother. Sasuke waited for Itachi to continue. "As you probably remember, there was a lovely painting placed in your room when you were young." At this Sasuke's eye brow twitched in annoyance. Of course he remembered, the memories taunted him and made life living hell for him since he could remember. It encouraged his awful behaviour and almost horrendous actions. But he hadn't seen the painting in years, ten, in fact.

"And?"

"And, I have reason to believe that the right thing to do at this time... is to return it to you." Sasuke looked at his brother as if he were insane. Sure, the painting has haunted him for countless years, but returning the painting into his possession was hardly the fix he was looking for. However, he would be lying if he were to say he didn't want it back. Because he did. He really wanted it back, in fact.

"What gave you this insane notion? Dear brother, have you been taking your medicine lately?" Itachi chuckled, once again raising himself from his seat.

"I think it is not me who has been skipping their medication, but you." Sasuke ignored this comment. Itachi grabbed a package off the desk near the seat he previously occupied, handing it to his brother. Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "We'll discuss that further, later. For now, you should examine it. I'm against the idea, but... he insisted that he be returned to you this year, on your birthday."

"He?"

"Just examine it."

Begrudgingly Sasuke took of the brown packaging and looked at the painting. The same 20x30 photograph stared back at him. The crisp lines of the mountains and the protruding paint from the canvas stood as if they never moved, still as beautiful as ever. Yet, as he looked at it, he noticed things he never noticed before. A small cottage sat high upon a hill in the background, attaching to the cobble stone road that travelled towards the frame. However, he refused to accept that they were not there before. They absolutely had to have been there before. Paintings don't change. If ten years of therapy with Tsunade had taught him anything it was that paintings didn't change as in the movies, and what he saw so many years ago was a figment of a disturbed child's mind.

"It's exactly as it was when you took it." Sasuke commented bluntly. Itachi shook his head, taking hold of one of the corners of the frame.

"See the cottage?" Sasuke looked at his brother, stare blank as ever. "It was not there before. In fact it was developed recently, within the last three years. And the flowers, they are always changing. And every year on the 22nd of July something very peculiar happens." Sasuke looked over at his brother, his patience dwindling.

"The 'Boy in the painting' speaks." At this Sasuke's heart stopped. The boy in the painting? He didn't mean.... the boy he saw... did it?

"What do you mean...?"

"Sasuke, that boy in the painting was a vision of yours when you were younger-"

"I know who you're talking about." Sasuke snapped back, patience dropping to a dangerous level.

"Then you understand what you told me the day before I took the painting away." Itachi waited for Sasuke, wanting him to clue into what his older brother was insinuating. Sasuke looked over at his brother, not yet understanding how his past caught up with him. How did he let this happen, and why was Itachi feeding into his pain? Sasuke covered the painting again, not wanting to have to stare at it. Sasuke held out a laminated paper, the crisp white canvas allowing the small childish drawing of a rose and the words 'I promise' written in blue crayon shot from the paper like a bullet, effectively shooting a painful hole into Sasuke's chest. He was left breathless.

"He wants to see you again, Sasuke."

*

Sasuke sat on his new bed, the crisp black sheets barely bending to his weight. The painting still covered at his feet. This was ridiculous, the boy in the painting was a figment of his imagination. Something his mind created in the absence of actual human contact in his childhood.

He was sure of it.

Right?

Sasuke shook his head, setting his mind straight. He checked the alarm clock next to his bed- 12.01. It was his birthday. He was officially 16. Yet he couldn't let Itachi's word lift from his mind. He knew Itachi was being absolutely insane, and so was he. The boy was never there, and the painting never changed...

He sat for another moment, arms crossed over his chest as his mechanical alarm clock ticked next to him. His curiosity ticking with the clock... unable to hold himself back any more, Sasuke lunged at the ripped open package and revealed the painting. He could see the changes, almost as if he was watching the flowers move with the cool summer breeze sweeping through the valley.

There were notable changes, new floral growth, the cottage... and, if leaned close enough, he could almost feel a breeze. Sasuke reminded himself that it was absolutely impossible for that to be possible.

He strained his eyes, trying to scrutinize the painting, checking absolutely everything for new formations in the painting, hesitantly wishing to hear those small whispers he heard so many years ago, and what Itachi claimed to hear now.

A hearty laugh filled his room, snapping Sasuke to the foot of his bed only to be pulled into frozen shock, eyes widened as far as they could possibly go.

"And here I thought I would never see you again... But what a treat!" Sasuke looked across the figure, eyes still enlarged, which was helpful, considering he had a lot to take in of intruder in his room.

At the end of Sasuke's bed, stood a boy. Possibly his age, yet a little shorter than himself, but had a mature look on his face making it seem as if he couldn't possibly be younger than fifteen, at least. Sasuke raked his eyes over the boy, taking in his appearance. The boy had a shit-eating grin stretched over his face, sparkling white teeth glaring in the light from his florescent bulb lamp. He had bright blond hair, almost translucent against his tanned skin. He held his hands at his hips as if making a large entrance. Sasuke figured the boy was expecting some large reaction for him. Like that was going to happen.

The boy was wearing a large white shirt with a v-neck that dipped down to the middle of his chest, revealing smooth tan skin, sculpted with rough ridges of muscles only eared by hard work. His pants looked the most uncomfortable, loose potato sack like pants held up by, what Sasuke figured was, hand-made rope. It was odd to say the least, but his fashion barely fazed Sasuke, it was his eyes that made the largest impact. Cerulean blue, with a certain gleam of playfulness and joy that Sasuke had missed for so long. Their bright and rare texture captivated Sasuke, and memories of that one night, so many years ago came flooding back. Like a flood gate breaking, Sasuke was overcome with the joyful hours he spent with the boy he knew as Naruto.

"N-Naruto?" The blonde's smile grew, and he dropped his hands, one gripping the steel bars at the edge of the bed.

"You remember..." he breathed. Slowly he walked around to the side of the bed, taking a reproachful seat on the edge.

"How... where... I don't understand...." Naruto smiled, pinching the tight cloth of the bed spread into his palm before lunging at Sasuke, taking the raven into his arms. Sasuke flinched at the touch, automatically rejecting the feeling, but eventually melting into the warm touch. Sasuke missed this, the last time he had a hug like this... was when the little blonde boy was last here.

"I've missed you..." The blonde took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of Sasuke he had memorized so many years ago.

"Naruto..." Sasuke leaned into Naruto's arms, letting the feeling take him away. It was odd, he had been so long without this boy he had met for a matter of hours ten years ago, and yet he felt oddly replenished and fulfilled when the blonde was back. There was only one thing bothering him now, he didn't want Naruto to leave again. He knew it was odd, but he felt oddly connected with the boy. "Where did you go all those years ago?" Naruto froze ridged, curling his fingers into the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. He didn't answer right away, prompting Sasuke to pull away, to hopefully look at Naruto's face properly.

Naruto looked around the room, eyes not meeting Sasuke's. His lower lip was sucked in between bars of white blocks.

"Well, it looks like you lost your lustre since I was last here." Naruto observed, chuckling at how Sasuke took to his comment. Sasuke childishly crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Naruto. "Don't worry, I still like you." he added, grinning wildly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I was worried there for a moment." Naruto laughed, his brazen chest heaving with the joyful response.

As if they had never left the other's side since they met so many years ago, they settled into comfortable, light conversation. Back and forth they bickered, talking about absolutely nothing while laying on Sasuke's perfectly made bed.

*

"So, when did this all happen?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, the posed question confusing him slightly.

"When did what happen?"

"The heavy worry lines, the deeply set frown that seems to be permanently stuck on your lips and the dark hallow look in your eyes." Sasuke turned away, twirling a twizzler in between his fingers.

"After you left, things changed." Sasuke took a vengeful bite of his twizzler, pretending it was his father's head. He checked the clock, the shinning numbers of three forty six shinning out like a warning.

"How so?"

"Naruto, over the years things change and we can't help it." Naruto sat back up from lying down on the bed, swallowing his last piece of twizzler.

"I understand that, but I want to know how things changed for you. If, maybe, I could help you." Naruto didn't answer again, yet let his eyes wander, the blue orbs falling on three dying roses in a jar on a wooden table adjacent from Sasuke's large bedroom window which let the light of the full moon in."Hmph. I was wrong, you never changed." Sasuke looked over at him, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Naruto took his friend's hand and pulled him off the bed.

"What are you doing, dobe?" Naruto looked back at the raven, a prominent frown on his lips.

"That's not nice, teme!" Sasuke smirked at the blond's response and let Naruto drag him down the dully decorated halls until they reached the same large wooden doors they visited last time they met. Without a word Naruto opened the doors to the garden, opening the two up into a rarely seen world of natural colours and lush textures. Sasuke almost forgot how beautiful the garden was. It had so many different flowers. His mother didn't garden any longer, but she paid many garden workers and maids to care for it. They had done a lovely job. Sasuke wished he spent more time in the garden than he did. Flowers ranging from chrysanthemum to carnations to ginger, geraniums, fressia, orchids, Queen Anne's lace, tulips, acacia, lilies, forget-me-not and of course, Sasuke's favourite, the rose.

"I said that when we were bigger," Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand, going over to the large towering rose bush that didn't seem as large as it did, this same night, ten years ago, "I would pick you a rose." Sasuke faintly remembered this small promise as Naruto reached up for the largest rose on the bush. It was the size of his fist folded upon itself, and it's blood red petals were closed as tightly as his parent's minds. Naruto snapped it off from the bush, not minding the large sharp thorns piercing into his hands. Sasuke hesitantly took it from the blond, wondering how Naruto got away without being in pain. "I'm used to hard labour, and although the thorns pierce my skin, the callouses on my palms protect me from the pain." Sasuke held the rose tightly in his two hands, holding on so tight he could feel the blood welling up on the inside of his palms from the thorns.

Without another word, Naruto carefully walked around the garden, picking up flowers or different colours and different types. And although they looked like they should be together, they suddenly collided in beauty and Sasuke watched as Naruto made a bouquet of what he could find, muttering as he went.

"Yellow chrysanthemums, for a secret admirer," Naruto collected a few into his hands, making them stay in a perfect arrangement as he collected more, "white carnations, for remembrance, geraniums, for comfort," He wasn't stuffing his hand as a child would, he was collecting the perfect amount of flowers so that when he was done collecting he wouldn't have a full hand, "a single orchid for a delicate beauty, pansy, for loving thoughts, lilac, for my first love, and last- but not least, forget-me-nots... so I shall never leave your mind."

For a moment, Sasuke just watched as Naruto created the bundle of flowers, expertly tying them together with ivy steams. Sasuke wasn't even sure that was possible, to tie flowers together with ivy. But... Sasuke guess he was able to do it. It amazed him to wordless breath that the blond knew so much about flower meanings.

"Were you educated?"

"On how to prepare a bouquet?" Naruto questioned, handing Sasuke the bundle of flowers.

"No, no. The meanings." Naruto smiled a little, walking slowly into the garden, loving the feeling of the soft soil and small gravel against his bare feet. The cool night air pressed lightly at his face, swaying his bangs from his face giving Sasuke a view of his golden eyes, and his scarred cheek.

"Because I lived in a painting, life became dull fast, and to keep me from wandering around aimlessly, my master would send me books. When he ran out of classics, philosophical books, and other various books he sent me whatever he could find. One was how to build a house, one was about flowers, some were about cooking, and others about textiles."

"Your master?" Naruto turned back to Sasuke. To Sasuke his smile seemed... mournful. He almost wanted to embrace the boy, who had lived through such hardships. Although he almost refused to absolutely believe that the blond truly did live in the painting, he almost knew deep down that he was not lying and whatever he had gone through was much worse than Sasuke would ever have to go through in his life.

"It's not time for you to know yet..." The raven looked down at the bundle or flowers. With a bought of courage he let his feet take him closer to the mysterious boy, letting his hands loss feeling as they dropped the flowers and reached out to Naruto simultaneously. With the moon as his guide, he followed the jagged lines of Naruto's face with his fingers, slowly marking each sharp curve and dip with a simple touch of his thumb or forefinger. "Sasuke?" Naruto asked, voice a shallow wind against Sasuke's palm, as he leaned into the caresses.

He didn't know what to make of his movement. He wasn't sure what he was doing, and he was beyond confused that he was moving his lips closer and closer to the chapped lips of the blond. When they touched he could feel the heat of the other boy against every nerve. His body was lit up, fire tingling and burning at his insides as he let the feeling overcome him. He was shaking, his body convulsing lightly. No matter how much he wanted it to stop, no matter how much he fought to stay still he couldn't. Naruto pressed his lips against the brunettes, pressing them deeper into the kiss. Sasuke opened his mouth for air, as his nose didn't seem to be taking in the oxygen he needed at that moment. But before he was able to get the gulp of air Naruto moved in, using his tongue to invade and caress every inch of Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke felt weak in the knees as his shaking continued. Naruto wrapped his arms tightly around Sasuke's torso, holding the shaking boy close to himself. Their tongues danced as their lungs seized from lack of air. At the last moment, they detached with a wet smack and both took large gasping breaths of fresh air.

"Maybe we're escalating too fast?" Naruto whispered. Although Sasuke knew Naruto was right, he felt that it was unimportant and of very little significance. How could something that felt so amazing, adn did dsuch things to his body be anything but good and should be imediately sought after. Correct? Sasuke sucked his bottom lip in between whtie teeth.

"Perhaps..."

"We only have one day together, lets enjoy it while we can." it bothered Sasuke that Naruto kept things like thier time limit, the reason Naruto was back, the reason he had ot leave, when they could see each other once again...

"Naruto, tell me what's going on! I can not blindly follow you in an almost drunken haze, not knowing who you are!" The blond looked thoughtful before bring Sasuke closer to him once again, planting a soft kiss on pale lips. Sasuke lost himself, once again, and Naruto took the opportunity to sweep his arm under the raven haired boy's legs and held him close to his chest. "What are you doing!" Sasuke wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto's neck and held on tightly as Naruto carried him into the house, not closing the door to the garden.

"I was born in a small fishing village near Osaka." Naruto bent his head down, lightly kissing Sasuke's neck. "It was the year 1833, my my mother died shortly after my birth." Naruto started walking up the stairs in ease, almost as if he wasn't carrying a fully grown sixteen year old boy in his arms. He lightly bit at Sasuke's neck making his scrunch his shoulders at the feeling. "My father was the village leader and was a powerful warrior." He got to Sasuke's room, shutting the door with his foot as he dropped the raven's legs and swung them around to wrap around his hips.

"When I was the age of five, a deadly secret was revealed to me." He whispered, dropping Sasuke gracefully onto the bed, as if he was carrying a small bag. He leaned over his body, crawling slowly up the length of his body. "My family is a family of what the villagers called '**containers**'. We have to ability to hold demon spirits within our bodies..." Sasuke dropped his head back, not wanting to watch Naruto's lean body move up his any longer.

"That's absurd..." Sasuke whispered, closing his eyes as Naruto pressed a hand against his chest, feeling over his clothing at his torso. Naruto chukled, the feeling of his chest shaking against his stomach.

"That's what you think, but I'm the one living in a painting." Sasuke bit his lip from all other thoughts and kept quiet. "I learnt that my mother was actually killed at my birth, a demon with such emence power so strong and dangerous was kept inside me." Naruto slipped a warm, rough hand under Sasuke's dark shirt causing ropes of chills to run along his skin, "The villagers were disgusted with the idea of having something so blood-thirsty near their homes they killed my mother in attempts to scare my father and I out of the town. When I was five, he was killed." Sasuke looked up at Naruto who had raised himself up to the dark eyes he was so interested in.

"I'm so sorry..." Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Danzo gave me the painting a week later, and ever since I've been stuck in it. Living a meaningless life." They locked eyes, looking into endless strands of colour that melded into a black center, their ontents never keeping still, almsot swirling with the emotions emitting from their hearts. Sasuke pressed his head forward, pressing his chapping lips against Naruto's soft, perfect lips. Sasuke noted that they were as velvety smooth as rose petals. "Sasuke... I never want to be without you..." Naruto was larger that Sasuke in muscle mass, yet they matched in height. Sasuke didn't like the odds of Naruto trying to overpower Sasuke, it wasn't in his own nature to let people overpower him in anyway. But... for some reason, it didn't bother him as much as it did for everyone else that ever tried too. Sasuke was just too comfortable, too happy, and generally too content in the current situation to care much. He yearned for the feeling of someone touching him, loving him, and caressing him.

Naruto carefully broke the kiss, pulling on Sasuke's t-shirt, to which Sasuke sat up for Naruto to take it off. The raven then took of the blond's shirt, only to be frozen in awe at the sight. A large broad chest, perfectly sculpted stood in front of him, heaving from the loos of breath. Sasuke placed his pale hands against the bronze torso, compairing their unalike features. It was such a contrast, Sasuke almsot wanted to quickly go to a tanning booth. But his thoughts were quickly thwarted away as Naruto gasped. The blond took full advantage of the paper white chest in front of him, and quickly went to work on tasting and memorizing every single part of Sasuke's skin. He sucked, licked, and kissed everywhere he could, painting the perfect white skin to a purply red.

"Naruto... I don't... I think we're going a little fast." Naruto lifted his head, not wanting to push Sasuke. He looked at Sasuke, carefully examining Sasuke's face.

"Okay..." Naruto smiled, rolling off of Sasuke and lying next to him, "That's fine, if it's too fast, we can just hang out." Sasuke nodded, feeling the pull of sleep on the corner of his eyes. Slowly he rolled, pressing the front of his body to Naruto's side. In his sleep hazed mind, he felt the Naruto's warm arm wrap around him, securely holding him next to his heated body.

"Will you be here when I wake?" I felt a small movement as Naruto wiggled closer to the raven, his lips next to his ear as Sasuke dropped his head onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Of course, Sasu..."

*

When Sasuke woke the next day, half the day had already passed, and a constant rapping on his door jarred him from his sleep. Without permission the door swung open, Itachi standing like a stone gardian in the door opening. Naruto, to Sasuke's surprise and joy, was still there next to him, holding him tightly. Their legs were intwined and twisted together, and Sasuke had taken to curling into a tight ball in Naruto's almost sheild like body.

"My, my otouto. On the first night?" He felt Naruto lean upwards, looking at the intruder.

"He's still sleeping, Itachi-san."

"How considerate of you, Naruto-kun." Sasuke heard a low growl deep in Naruto's chest. "Why was the garden doors open all night?" Sasuke cracked open an eye, sneaking a peek at his brother. His long, slim fame stood solid in the doorway, hands on his hips as he watched the two boys with an entertained smirk.

"We went flower picking." Naruto stated simple, filling Itachi in on their juiciest gossip. Itachi's entertained spark in his eyes flared as he became more interested in the two's encounter.

"Again? What a mess you made last time, I was gardening in the early morning hours for you two until Sasuke awoke the next morn." Nothing was said for a moment, but Sasuke's open eye followed Itachi as he sat on the opposite side of the bed, across from Sasuke's face, yet next to Naruto. Sasuke quickly shut his eye.

"While Sleeping Beauty enjoys his rest, I'll warn you. You hurt him, and I'll kill you." Naruto's hold on Sasuke tightened, instantly making Sasuke feel safer, warmer.

"Is that a threat?"

"Very much so. I have my ways, and killing a demon will be nothing more than batting my very prectine eyelashs." Naruto didn't say anything, but kept his hold onto Sasuke.

"I have vowed my life to this boy, he irrivocably changed my future. I will never betray or hurt him."

"Yet you directed his sexual interests into a dis-honourable path, you have unknowingly changed his relations with his family, future friends, and clients."

"That is not my fault! He is the one to choose such things!" Sasuke felt the rumble of Naruto's voice against his cheek as it was pressed tightly to the blond's broad chest.

"Yet you clutch to his sleeping form as if you were clinging to life itself." Itachi bit harshly. Sasuke felt as if a bite of his own flesh was ripped off. It were as if he were Naruto and Itachi was tearing at his own flesh with jaded teeth for loving another man. How could his brother, who unconditionally loved him more than even his parents, be so harsh to the only living being that could bring him happiness?

"I cling to the only thing I have known in my life, the only happiness and joy that has ever crossed my path since my father's fate was sealed one hundred and seventy years ago!"

"That was along time ago, Sasuke is not from your time, and you should not be here." Naruto's fingers dug into Sasuke's left arm and back.

"But I am. That is the deciding factor here."

"No, demon, it is not. It is whether fate should leave him in your hands. If I have anything to do with the situation, he will not land in your dirty hands."

"Then why did you bring me back here?" Sasuke felt the weight in the bed shift as Itahci rose. Sasuke peeked his eye open, tensing as he saw Itachi's cold, coal eyes instantly connect with his own. Without a word, Itachi left, black leather dress shoes clicking on the hardwood floor as he left. As the sound distanced from them, Sasuke rose on the bed, instinctively grasping onto Naruto's still bare torso.

"I want you to understand... I had no desire for you to hear that."

"I had no desire to hear that aswell." Sasuke retorted softly, reassuring Naruto that he dissagreed with his brother whole heartedly. "Naruto, you have to promise me, that no matter what Itachi, or my parents, say, you will always stay with me." Sasuke looked up, his forehead brushing against Naruto's prickly chin.

"I can't promise that. You know I can't." Sasuke ducked his head again, not being able to look at the blond as he spoke the words he never wanted to hear. Sasuke knew he was right, but he had a hard time dealing with the fact.

"Than promise me... I'll always have a place in your heart." Naruto smiled, reaching his lips down to press a chaste kiss to Sasuke's head.

"_I promise."_

_*_

Time passed by, and the boys didn't move from the bed. Sasuke figured there was too much to show Naruto of the real world outside the mansion, and it all might be too troublesome to have to deal with Naruto discovering a world filled with technology considering he left the world in a state where is you wanted to talk to your neighbors you would put on your good shoes and travel the three miles on foot or horse back, just to ask for a cup of rare sugar cane.

Naruto didn't mind, he was surely curious what was on the outside, but that could be left while he was with Sasuke. He was perfectly content with reciting some of his favorite love poems, quoting many world renouned authors like Shakespeare, Poe, Shelley, Barrett, and Frost. Sasuke listened whole heartedly, loving the sound of Naruto voice, soft in his ear like warm honey, and the vibrations of his voice from his chest against the raven's cheek and hand. Sauske lay, legs entangled with the blond's and his head nessled against Naruto's chest in the crook of the other's shoulder. His hand softly whispered against Naruto's torso, lightly grazing the soft, tan skin, and he listened to every word Naruto said with perfect memory.

"_Music, when soft voices die, Vibrates in the memory--_" Sasuke held his breath, noting the alike situations as Naruto softly recited yet another Shelley, "_Odours, when sweet violets sicken, Live within the sense they quicken._" Naruto lifted his hand that was hold Sasuke to himself and softly padded his finger tips through the black hair. "_Rose leaves, when the rose is dead, And heaped for the beloved's bed; And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,_" The blond looked down with firey blue eyes, the depth of the eayes Sasuke drowned in too vast for him mind to comprehend. "_Love itself shall slumber on..._"

"Your romantic quality is a little cheesy," Sasuke noted, looking at Naruto for his reaction, only slightly surprised at Naruto's grin.

"But it's the quiality that works wonders." Sasuke grinned, burrying his head deeper into Naruto's warm skin. He breathed in Naruto's essance, loving the harsh scent of pine mixed lightly with an intoxicating hint of lavander. Naruto grasped Sasuke's hand within his own holding it between thier bodies.

"It is indeed." Naruto laughed absently, Sasuke joining in shortly finding his laugh irresistably catchy. Not too long went by before Naruto looked down to Sasuke's grinning face, slowly inching his lips closer to Sasuke's light pink ones. They lightly touched and all sound stopped as they connected. Sasuke's mind blanked as he indulged in the feeling of their lips sliding together Naruto brought Sasuke's hand up to his head to give him more leverage to get closer to the other. Naruto's moan vibrated against Sasuke's pale lips, mootivating Sasuke to move his body to hover of Naruto's. The blond took a strong hold onto his raven haired lover's hips, carefully grinding their pelvis' together. The room instantly filled with the teens erotic moans. Sasuke took initiative and ground down again, loving the feeling of the friction.

However, the delicious moment lasted barely ten minutes before Sasuke's hand, that was previously clenching Naruto's, fell the short distance tot he padded bedding. Sasuke immediately broke thier contact and looked up to where Naruto had brought their connected hands to. Sasuke was gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth. Naruto looked at Sasuke's pure confussion on his face.

"What's wrong Sasu?" He lifted his missing hand to brush away a chunck of fallen hair when he realized what had caused Sasuke so much disturbance. He immediately sat up, Sasuke sliding into a sitting position on his lap. Naruto took the hand he still had and pressed it to Sasuke's wetting cheek. "Sasuke, I'll be back. Okay?"

"Are you sure? Will you really?" Naruto nodded pressing his lips agaisnt Sasuke as hard as he could, trying desperately to memorize the feeling and taste of Sasuke like he had all of those ancient poems. He saw Sasuke fall onto the bed from where his legs dissapeared from underneath him.

"I promise, I'll be back on this date in ten years... you will wait for me; won't you?" This time Sasuke nodded vigerously. He trying to grasp onto the hem of Naruto's shirt collar, trying to keep him there just a moment more.

"I will, I promise." He bellowed, tears and hiccups mixing into his speech.

"I want you to do something as for me as well..." Sasuke looked up, eyes red from crying. Naruto couldn't help but smile at his beautiful boy. "Find the other paintings by Danzo... I have some friends captured inside them. Will you do that for me?" Sasuke nodded, watching in horror as Naruto's body dissapeared into the air in front of him. "I love you..." The raven froze, shocked, before watching Naruto's dissapearing face pull into a weak smile.

"I- I-" unfortunately Naruto's whole body dissapeared before Sasuke was able to pull himself together to speak properly. The space where Naruto used to be was blank before he screamed, "I love you too!" invoking him to punch the empty space. "What the fuck! Why!" Sasuke continued to punch the bed until he tired himself out, and he finally dropped tot he bed and began sobbing.

Itachi slowly opened the door, watching his brother pathetically weep into his bedding. He eyed the flower on the side table, the painting on the floor, and his brother's jarred body. The teen's crys went unheard otherwise, and went further unnoticed as Itachi left the door frame, and went to leave the house, slowly and deliberately turning off all the light through out the house before walking away from the house for the last time. The next time he would see Sasuke, they would not have to encounter in such a horrid house with haunting memories of painted boys and empty halls.

* * *

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